Creating new knowledge
As part of a leading research university, faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences pursue research in areas from population health to social justice to digital humanities to the arts. They hold leadership roles in their field, serving as advisors for government agencies and working toward change on issues from criminal justice reform to labor rights to immigration. They play key roles on ambitious international projects such as the Large Hadron Collider, which explores unresolved questions in particle physics, and they push the boundaries of artistic creation through cross-disciplinary collaboration and the integration of new technologies.
Graduate students work closely with faculty researchers, advancing their research in meaningful ways. Undergraduate students also have a wide range of opportunities to be part of this exciting work, gaining skills they can apply to the real world. Our undergrads have declassified CIA documents for human rights cases, designed an adaptive Xbox controller for people who are missing a limb, helped preserve endangered languages, studied exoplanets and more.
Interdisciplinary Innovation
The College is home to more than 30 interdisciplinary centers and has ties to many others, allowing scholars in diverse fields to collaborate on complex research questions. Here is a sampling of research centers based in Arts & Sciences:
- Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art
- Center for Child and Family Well-Being
- Center for Communication, Difference & Equity
- Center for Environmental Politics
- Center for Human Rights
- Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology
- Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest
- Institute for Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics & Cosmology
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences
- Molecular Engineering Materials Center
- Simpson Center for the Humanities
- Thouless Institute for Quantum Matter
Discoveries in Every Field
A Statistician Weighs in on AI
Statistics professor Zaid Harchaoui, working at the intersection of statistics and computing, explores what AI models do well, where they fall short, and why.
The Mystery of Sugar — in Cellular Processes
Nick Riley's chemistry research aims to understand cellular processes involving sugars, which could one day lead to advances in treating a range of diseases.
Lifting Marginalized Voices — from Ancient Rome
"Interesting, frustrating, and necessary,” is how Sarah Levin-Richardson, professor of Classics, describes her research into the lives of enslaved individuals in the ancient world.
Find yourself in research
Whether you want to excavate a T-Rex in Montana, search for signs of life in the universe, or identify new gene mutations in fruit flies, you can take your learning to a whole new level by participating in research. Plus, over 600 Arts & Sciences students present at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium each year.
What will you discover?
Be a part of a community that provides a tremendous range of research opportunities for students. Alongside your peers and faculty, you can advance research and serve as a resource to the state, the region and the world.